Letting Go of Yesterday
by bittersweet bliss
Summary: In which there is a happily ever after.
1. Blue Balloons

a/n: A-herm... This is just a kind of... musing story, I guess. It takes place after _everything_– the big war, Naruto becomes Hokage, etc. etc. Sasuke is back. Konoha is finally at peace. Every country is finally at peace. Everything has changed.

I'm sorry about the breadth of these chapters!

Basically, this is a multichapter fic about each character and the change. It has no _real_ plot, but it has many events, anyhow. Each character is telling a story, in a way.

**Letting Go of Yesterday**

_Blue Balloons_

_I'll never be the same - if we ever meet again  
Won't let you get away - said if we ever meet again _

Konoha was warm. Warm like toast, warm like the sun's beams pressing against you through a window.

Sasuke wasn't use to warm.

After all, he had dwellt in an underground cave for nearly a year with Orochimaru, and then he'd traveled near and far, crossing through country after country with his group, hunting down his brother. Now, 2 years after the Last War (How did they even know it was the last war? What if one stupid country decided to break the universal treaty?), he was back in Konoha, all evil intentions washes away. Still, he was on parole, but it was loose. Naruto, being the Hokage, had bargained with the elders, who didn't have much power anyways; just another change to get use to. After the war and the signing of the treaty, security had been more of a desire than a necessity. It was safe to say that, as of now, everybody in the world was safe.

He'd never expected to come back. The sheer amazement of even having been _allowed_ back still bemused him. The war had only been one month ago and he had only returned (That was putting it _lightly. _He'd practically been blackmailed to come back, not that he minded much. His business was done.) 3 weeks back. And yet, the whole town seemed to be working in unison to repair everything. Towers, shops, houses, and offices were being rebuilt in days. The sun was always shining. It almost seemed like... a _utopia_. He shook his head. That was stupid; there was no such thing. But it was close, and he was thinking (For the first time since he was 5.) optimistic thoughts. It marked the turn of a century.

So did a lot of things, though. He had come back not expecting much of a welcome, but they had all waited by the gates, smiles on their faces. His old team, all of his... friends (Well, they were now.), his teachers, even the former Hokage, who was on the verge of death. He forgot momentarily the embarrassment of having his hands bound together and stared, his mind reeling but his expression blank.

_Typical!_ Sakura had laughed, elbowing him and smiling cheekily. She'd then backed off, taking a side by Kakashi, who (To his absolute incredulity.) slid his hand into hers. How much had he missed, exactly? He was then frog marched to the elders, who called their verdict.

Slowly, he learned his way around town; everybody was. The roads were changing, the shop locations were changing, _everything was changing_.

In the short time he had walked the paths of Konoha (_Lost? On the road of life?_ Kakashi would say everytime he passed by Sasuke. His eye would then crease and he'd point him in the right direction; then salute him and disappear with a _poof_.), he had learned that Ino was single and _not_ looking. Shikamaru had dumped her (She didn't mind. _I was getting bored anyways,_ she shrugged, chucking a flower into a vase.) in favor of the blonde sand-nin, Temari. Ino seemed genuinely happy for the two; maybe it was because she could now drool after guys without feeling guilty. She would dance around the shop, pressing a flower to her nose and inhaling deeply, humming contentedly.

He'd always notice Kiba passing by multiple times a day, staring longingly through the glass.

Hinata had finally gathered the guts to admit to Naruto her long-time feelings, to which the blonde had said– er, shouted– excitedly, _perfect, LET'S START A FAMILY! _To which the heiress blushed profusely, her face that of a fire hydrant. She didn't faint though. And so, after he had been deemed Hokage like he had always dreamed, he got married.

And TenTen had owned up, admitting that Neji _was_ kind of attractive, but definitely not worth her time of day, even though she would always, everyday, 'accidentally' bump into him a the training ground. _Well hi there!_ She would start, grinning, placing her large scroll down against a tree. _I wasn't expecting to see you here. What's up?_ To which Neji would explain exactly why he had been there, and they would engage in a long conversation, and everytime he smiled, she would flush and grow silent. Somehow or other, they had ended up together.

Lee had taken to competing against his former sensei. Whether it was 500 laps on his hands around the village, or wooing the latest female addition to town. Oddly, there _were_ girls out there who liked him; _adored_ him, even. Lee, however, still had his eyes set on a certain pink-haired nin. Thought he did claim, with his hands up in their predictable pose and his teeth gleaming, that _the youthful girl with her eyes filled with stars, she is quiet the mesmerizing beauty! _

Chouji frequented the local barbeque, sometimes with a girl. _An arranged marriage,_ he explained, smacking his lips after finishing the bag of potato chips._ But we're happy_. Shino would press his glasses against the bridge of his nose, nodding his head. He was, apparently, the financial advisore of their wedding. _Weird_, Sasuke thought to himself.

The few times Gaara stopped by, he would nod with respect at the Kazekage, who would look at him with a hint of appreciation in his eyes. Things of the past could not be forgotten.

During his verdict, the elders had demanded that he room with a townsperson. There was a minor squabble over who, exactly, but it had been decided– an ex-ANBU nin. Sai, they had called him. Sasuke, the address in his tight grasp, had made his way to the house. It was a demure little house, skirting the forest's edge. A clear, crystal river ran by it. The house was only one story by the looks of it, but it seemed large. He knocked on the door, and a boy with his midriff exposed open the door, staring at the avenger pointedly.

_You are Sasuke_, he had noted nonchalantly, leaving the door open and returning to whatever he had been doing. Painting, Sasuke saw. His easel was set up so that he called turn his head to the right and look out the window. But he wasn't painting what was outside the window, oddly enough. He was painting a blue, blue sky with a sun setting. _Or rising_, Sasuke corrected. _Odd_.

_I'm supposed to be staying here for a while,_ Sasuke remarked, letting his bags drop with a thump.

_I know_. Pause. _There is a room over there. _He spoke articulately.

_Thanks_.

Then slowly, each day, more of Sai's life had been revealed to him. He woke up early every morning to paint, sketch, colour, or whatever else artsy. He learned that they were far more alike than they were different. He taught Sai about customs, human nature, anything else he asked about. Each day, Sai seemed to break a little farther out of the shell the ANBU had created out of him. He was becoming... _human_, Sai would finish for him, smiling.

It was in this way that a beautiful friendship blossomed.

One day, he'd walked in on Sai painting. Normally it wouldn't have been anything important to note upon, but it was the odd shade of _pink_ the artist-nin was mixing. It looked remarkably like...

_Sakura?_ Sasuke interjected, eyesbrows shooting up just a little. Sai, who hadn't noticed him walk in, gave a start, dropping his pallet. His eyes widened, and he looked away guiltily. _So _human, Sasuke though before he squatted beside him, picking the color swatch and paintbrushes gingerly, staring at the painting through the glare of the sunlight.

_You're in love with her?_

_She is with Kakashi_.

_You're in love with her?_ Sasuke repeated, his eyes meeting Sai's. There was a pregnant pause.

_Yes. Love_. He said the word as if testing it out, as if he was an alien in a foreign country. _Love_. It rolled off his tongue roughly.

Sasuke picked himself up, joints cracking, and left the house again, leaving Sai with the word and his painting. Leaving Sai with his future, whatever it was. Leaving Sai to ponder how all the causes had added up to this effect. Leaving Sai with his conclusion. Leaving Sai so he could wonder about... wonders.

He had to be honest; Seeing Sakura had shocked him. Well, not seeing Sakura, but seeing Sakura with Kakashi. Seeing Sakura crack the egg of the one person nobody else could crack. Seeing them smiling, laughing, Kakashi's eye-crease genuine and real, really _real_, for once. It was odd, seeing them swing their tangled hands forward and back, Sakura chattering about the latest case at the hospital. Was this really the girl who had once been obsessed with him? This mature, grown-out, curvy, sensible, intelligent (Albeit easily-angered.) girl? Had she really grown from an immature, selfish brat to.... _this_?

"Sasuke?" Kakashi and Sakura paused in their musings. The bubblegum-haired nin waved a hand in front of Sasuke's face. "It's good to see you again!" Kakashi took out his book, receding into his normal, taciturn self. Sakura's eye-twitched. "Excuse me for a second." She dragged her boyfriend into an alley, and Sasuke waited. There was some yelling, a loud crash, and a sigh. Sooner after, Sakura walked back out, a hassled looking Kakashi tailing her.

"Yo," Kakashi said, nodding his head at his ex-student. Sasuke acknowledged him back, to which Kakashi creased his eye, then took out his familiar book again. Sakura seemed to be glaring daggers at him.

"You'll have to forgive him. He's an ass sometimes,"

"Now, now Sakura, that's not quite fair, is it?" His tone was pleasant, humouring.

"Life isn't fair, Kakashi," She drawled, waving an apology at Sasuke before leaving to attend to her matters with Kakashi.

Naruto himself had not changed much. He was still easily excited. He still rushed around, finishing his errands with extreme enthusiasm. The kyuubi had never been released, had never been caught, had never been used, but it had settled deep in Naruto. The seal on his stomach was still printed there, dark and looming, but it was forgotten for hopefully forever.

_Sasuke, _Naruto had come up to him one day, hands on his hips, puffing out his chest.

_You look extremely gay today, dobe._ Sasuke had responded nonchalantly, raising both his eyebrows slightly in acknowledgement.

_SHUT UP, TEME!_ _I'm here to ask a favor from you, AS. THE. HOKAGE._ He dropped his hands (Sasuke swore he saw stars in the blonde's eyes.), and suddenly, they were just best friends again. Naruto was now the Hokage, yes, but they had _always_ been friends.

_What is it_. Sasuke deadpanned, stating it more than asking it.

_I WOULD LIKE YOU TO BE THE GODFATHER OF MY SON_, Naruto yelled. The birds in the trees cried loudly, flushing out of the arbors.

The raven-haired avenger (He sincerely wished people would stop calling him that. Especially Sakura; she never let him off.) hesitated. _Me? Are you sure? After all, I–_

_That's the past, Sasuke._ Naruto grinned at him. Then his eyes softened, and he stared out towards the sky, the sun making his hair flash platinum. _Things change_.

Sasuke followed Naruto's gaze, looking for what he was looking at. He saw nothing.

_Yeah. Things change. _

Things change. He had grown up in this village. He had lived his life here. His brother had killed his family, killed his clan. He had trained here, gone to school here. He had betrayed his true home. He had started a war, ended a war. He had killed town after town; he was a murderer. He had blood on his hands. He had had a large sum of money on his head.

He was unforgivable.

Things change.

There was a sharp cry, and Sasuke turned his head, jolted out of his thoughts. The sun blinded him momentarily, and he shielded his dark eyes with an arm; he looked around, locating the noise. A little boy was crying, watching his blue balloon fly away, high into the sky. A shining, light blue ribbon was trailing behind it, curling and waving goodbye in the wind.

"Oh, it's ok," Kurenai murmured, stroking her son's soft mat of brown hair. "We can get you another one,"

"But–" The little boy sobbed harder, nose running. His red eyes filled with warm tears. "I didn't want to let go."

"Sometimes," his mother started soothingly, taking her son's hand, "sometimes, you have to let go and just see where it goes."


	2. Fall

a/n: For each character(s), the balloon means something different to them. In the end, I'll post my own analysis.

It'd be lovely if you'd review with your take on his/her/their view on the balloon, too!! (I'd love to hear what you think~)

Oh, this song is actually a K-Pop song.

**Letting Go of Yesterday**

_Fall_

_Have you ever loved.  
Like in the movies where they fall in love at first sigh.  
Stayed up all night on the phone.  
Bragged to the world.  
Waited in the pouring rain.  
Ran like crazy towards them.  
Secretly watched them.  
Gone crazy.  
Pretended not to see them.  
_

"That cloud looks like a balloon," Shika said, pointing to something in the sky.

Temari shot up from her laying position. "Wait. That _is_ a balloon!" She got up, chasing after it as the wind pushed it away. "C'mon! Let's get it!" She said excitedly. Shikamaru sighed, getting up slowly.

_Troublesome_.

He tailed his girlfriend lazily, content with following her, watching her chase the little toy. Eventually, the wind lifted it up from the ground and into the sky.

"Aaaw, what a shame!" Temari said, slowing to a stop. Shikamaru took a seat next to her; both of them looked to the balloon.

"It's only a balloon," Shikamaru drawled, laying onto his back.

"It's not _just_ a balloon, Shika. It was a really _nice_ balloon," Temari laughed, sitting onto the soft, green grass with her knees drawn to her chest.

"There are lots of really nice balloons."

"Yeah, but there was something about that one..."

Shikamaru shook his head. "Troublesome."


	3. Spring

a/n: For each character(s), the balloon means something different to them. In the end, I'll post my own analysis.

It'd be lovely if you'd review with your take on his/her/their view on the balloon, too!! (I'd love to hear what you think~)

**Letting Go of Yesterday**

_Spring_

_Even when you're gone_  
_Somehow you come along_  
_Just like a flower poking the sidewalk crack and just like that_  
_You steal away the rain and just like that_

"Kakashi, look–" Sakura tugged on Kakashi's sleeve, pointing to a round blue dot in the sky. It seemed to get smaller and smaller. It was a pleasant blue colour, reminding her of Naruto's eyes.

"A balloon," Kakashi said, tilting his head. His bangs shielded the sun from his eyes.

"It's pretty," Sakura breathed. It disappeared momentarily behind a cloud before reappearing, sparkling from the sun's rays hitting the vapor.

"Want one?" Kakashi mused, flipping a quarter. He cocked his head towards the balloon vender. Sakura waited a little bit, thinking. Then she looked him in the eyes.

"No." She smiled and peered back at the sky.

The balloon was gone.

She shrugged and smiled, reveling in the beautiful day. The balloon had been nice, but it was only a balloon.


	4. Winter

a/n: This is probably the saddest chapter of this whole thing. But don't worry, it's light!

**Letting Go of Yesterday**

_Winter_

_I can feel you falling away,_

_No longer the lost, no longer the same._

He was in like with Sakura Haruno, albeit unexpectedly. Sasuke had chosen to choose the words 'in love,' but Sai deemed that a little too strong. Or maybe he really just didn't know. Either way, it was odd how the past had turned against him. What had happened to fat, ugly Sakura-chan?

Maybe it was the way she smiled and lit up these days– especially around her ex-sensei.

However, he felt nothing about it. He continued to draw to his content. Jealousy was just not an emotion he had obtained as of yet.

Perhaps it was better that way.

He continued with his strokes. Blue here, blue there. There. Done.

Sakura sat in a field, leaning back on her hands, gazing at the sky. Her hair provided a beautiful contrast. Sai himself looked out of his window, raising his eyebrows at the little balloon floating by.

_Interesting._ He took up his brush again, dabbed it in the cerulean blue, and pressed the medium against the canvas. Then he leaned back to admire his newest creation.

Beautiful; the balloon did look a little lonely, however.

No matter.


	5. Blue Balloons Reprise

a/n: I know, this is _very_ short, but honestly, there's nothing much else to say.

**Letting Go of Yesterday**

_Blue Balloons (Reprise)_

_Just try your best,  
Try everything you can.  
And don't you worry what they tell themselves  
When you're away._

It was days like these that made the Hokage spin round and round in his chair, thinking back, letting himself wish wistfully for the days he couldn't take back.

Sakura had stopped by to hand in the mission summary; she had gone on an accompaniment, D-rank mission just for pay. _Bills won't pay themselves_, she shrugged, smiling crookedly at Naruto, who had chuckled before handing her the envelope. He heard Kakashi when Sakura stepped out.

He watched, through the window, civilians pass by. Ino rushed by, most likely delivering flowers. Kiba ran beside her. Ino looked somewhat frustrated. Shikamaru and Temari idled by, Temari tucking her fan behind her, Shikamaru slouched like he always was. Temari laughed, probably something Shikamaru had said.

_It's a boy_, Naruto thought, his hand on his cheek. _It's a boy_. He repeated it over and over again, replayed it over and over. When he'd heard the news, he had ran around town, robes flying around him, looking crazed. _Have you seen Sasuke? Where's Sasuke? SOMEBODY'S GOTTA HELP ME FIND SASUKE!!_ And soon, the whole town was asking each other, _Have you seen Sasuke? The Hokage is looking for him_.

Then, finally, he had pinned down the location of the wandering boy. He walked up to him, feeling extremely proud. He put his hands on his hips and inhaled, ready to shock Sasuke for a lifetime.

The brooder's comment had his eye twitching. _You look extremely gay today, dobe._

A vein pulsed in his forehead. _SHUT UP, TEME!_ _I'm here to ask a favor from you, AS. THE. HOKAGE. _Grinning ecstatically, he let his hands fall, waiting still to surprise the avenger.

_What is it_. His voice wasn't curious at all. In fact, he sounded like he could care less. But that would change, Naruto thought vindictively.

_I WOULD LIKE YOU TO BE THE GODFATHER OF MY SON_, the blonde yelled. There was a storm of applause (Or maybe that was just his imagination, because he heard a lot of disgruntled squawks coming from behind him.).

There was no response for a minute. Naruto had shocked him speechless. Victory surged in his blood. Finally, Sasuke had murmured, _Me? Are you sure? After all, I–_

Naruto grinned widely. _That's the past, Sasuke._ The past. He looked away towards the sun. So much had happened. _Things change_.

_Yeah. Things change. _Naruto peered at him; his best friend stared longingly at the sky, looking as if he was searching for something he couldn't find.

He'd walked back to the tower himself, alone, taking step after step but not concentrating. He had ran right into the wall of his office.

Now here he was, thinking back. He wasn't even 30 yet and he was thinking about the past like he was lying on his deathbed. Pitiful. He got up, stretched, and yawned loudly. When he turned back, something outside the window caught his eye.

A pretty blue balloon floated up, up, out of the window's view. Naruto pushed the window out, craning his neck to follow the balloon whose colour matched his eyes so well. He grabbed at the string but it slipped through his fingers as if playing with him; almost like it didn't _want_ him to catch it. He tried again and again, missing every single time before finally giving up.

It flew high, high, away; somewhere, somehow, the wind would take it where it pleased, the balloon itself having no control over where it would go.

Its ribbon waved goodbye to the ground as it drifted merrily to its future._  
_


	6. My Analysis epic author's note

**Letting Go of Yesterday**

_Picking the Past Apart_

Why yes, this is the analysis! Whether you read this or not is your choice! This is just my take on each chapter, what I wanted the balloon to represent for each person. I've always hated it when teachers just assume the writer is trying to be all smart and symbolic. How do they know? What if I really meant this to be just a balloon? "Dude. It's just a balloon. It doesn't represent anything."

So I am writing this so you'll know that I _didn't _mean for the balloon just to be a balloon. It does actually mean something.

These aren't "correct answers;" none of this was a test. If you thought something different, it'd be awesome if you wrote a review on what you thought! I'd love to hear what other people thought about whatever they thought. XD

So... ONWARDS TO MY EPIC ANALYSIS!!!... just kidding. HAHAHA!

_Blue Balloon_

**Sasuke**- Ok, well, I intended this to be really obvious. Basically, this was the basis chapter. The balloon represented the past, and the kid who let go goes, "I didn't want to let it go!" To which Kurenai, his mother, says, "Sometimes you have to let go and just see where it goes." I hope that was obvious enough. Sometimes you have to let go of the past just to see where your future will go. Balloon equals past.

To Sasuke himself, the past is there. But even so, the future will come. He can finally let go of his past and start fresh. Ya dig?

_Fall_

(Because sometimes even the most unexpected people fall in love.)

**Shikamaru**- So if the balloon represents the past and considering that Shika did absolutely nothing about it, he doesn't care. It's just something to him. What happens, happens. Everybody has one ("There are lots of really nice balloons."). It's something that's just there, something that can be a mess ("Troublesome.")

**Temari**- She chased after the balloon– she chased after the past. Eventually, she just let it go. She wishes she could have gotten it ("Aaw! What a shame!"), but she couldn't do anything about it. She views the past as something to be cherished, and she really loves the past. She let's it go, but reluctantly ("Yeah, but there was something about that one...").

_Spring_

(Because things are born new in Spring.)

**Sakura**- She wants to share the past with someone ("Kakashi, look–"). The past, to her, is also a beautiful thing, however it may have been ("It's pretty."), but it's something that she can easily let go of ("Want one?" "No."). The past it just that– the past. It's already happened, there's nothing she can do about it (The balloon had been nice, but it was only a balloon.). She's got the future to look forward to (She shrugged and smiled, reveling in the beautiful day.).

**Kakashi**- It's something that's just there ("A balloon."). Everybody has one, it's easily obtained ("Want one?")

_Winter_

(Because even though everything dies, there is still hope after.)

**Sai**- The future, to him, is merely something to observe. It means absolutely nothing to him. Therefore, you make your own take on it. Wanna share? GO AHEAD!!! -encourage encourage- Personally, I think it shows Sai's lonely past, but hey, that's just me! xD

_Blue Balloon (Reprise)_

**Naruto**- The past means a lot to him (He's thinking about it throughout the whole story.). He's desperate not to let go, but he has to, there's no other way (He tries to catch the balloon, but it slips through his fingers.).

AND NOW. THE FINALE. Actually, this is just my after-after-after-thought-note thing.

Well, yes. Those are the only people I have. However, if you would like more, please say so through review or PM. I have been contemplating adding all the characters, but it's pretty hard thinking of all the stuffs, sometimes. Plus, I can't name every single Naruto character, ahahahahaha!!!

Oh, and I AM SEVERELY SORRY (alliteration! Yippee!!) about all the typos!! I might not have caught them, so if it ruined your reading experience, I am all to blame!!

Maybe I need some encouragement, hinthint. LOL, JUST KIDDING! You don't have to review, but it's definitely appreciated!


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